I must point out that understanding a vegetable that is said to be good to a certain zone...means it can be relied on to do well in that zone....if planted in the garden...in the soil. Its not a gurantee it can do as well in a container. First off the container has limited volume of soil and the roots must be able to draw from the soil what nutrition it is used to create the flowers and leaves. Since rhubard has so large a leaf I would hazard a guess that it is not a good candidate for container growing. Secondly, how is one to winter over such a vegetable...as large a root ball as it will have. To winter over any containerized plant where winters are severe...cold, snow, freezes, thaws, freezes....rains, cold, snow, freezes.... how can a container plant take all that and be expected to come back in the spring. The usual recommendation is to put it somehwere where it can be given protection, yet at the same time, be given water to keep the roots alive. Or.....bury it! Open a trench and put the whole container in and bury it under soil or leaves or mulch....anything to keep it viable. If this is not possible, then plnat it in the garden. Rhubarb is a vegetable and should be given its own space...it should not be rotated like other vegetables..especially tomatoes. Did I understand you to say that you put strawberries and rhubarb in the same container. Its not a good idea to put any two vegetables...or plants...in the same container unless they have the same attributes...can be watered the same, can be given fertilizer the same, can be given sunlight the same.... otherwise, one does better than the other and if given the same treatment, one will do poorly and may, if it causes disease or a fungus, will certainly affect the other. I suggest you put the rhubarb plant into the garden and let it produce the shoots properly......but Rhubarb should have the flower stalks removed as they come the first year.. During the first year stalks should not be picked since food produced from the leaves is needed to nourish the roots for the next year's growth. A light picking might be taken the year next if the plants are vigorous. When harvesting rhubarb, the first step is to cut the stalks at the soil line or simply pull each one out independently. All of the stalks of a plant may be harvested at that time or pulled out over a three to six week period. Dont leave the fruit not longed picked, otherwise it will just go to seed. After the stalks are cut, the leaves may be removed. The leaves are poisonousÂand a tea can be made from them that can be used as a spray on bugs. If you go ahead and give the rhubarb a place in the garden, manure is a great food. Buy sheep manure at your local garden center or nursery. It will be a well composted bag. Otherwise, any good compost can be used. Aphids still might be a problem on the leaves if you don't remove them. Trounce...an insecticidal soap can be applied. Its a little late but maybe you can find a praying mantis in your garden..(I did the other day, almost ran over it with the mower) or ladybug. If the plant appears weak when growing, superphosphate 0/20/0 can be given. About a tablespoon mixed well into the soil and watered in. You cant leave the container out through a winter...the soil would certainly freeze solid and the roots with it. If you try to keep it outside, then try to winterize it by covering with aluminum foil to ward off sunlight. Wrap it in burlap and/or put cardboard around it, tied, then wrap it in aluminum foil. Raise it off the ground which will freeze. Air can be then allowed to pass under it. Rain/and/or snow, will run away from under it. Put it into a protected area, against a wall, in amongst your foundation plants, cover it with evergreens. Snow cover will do the rest. But I suggest instead give it a place in the garden, remove the leaves and let it be.

Wow, I'm new to Garden Web and excited to find a thread so exactly on topic for me, I was looking for help in figuring out how deep raised beds will have to be for rhubarb and aspargus as well as other insights to growing them by this method. It seems like an old thread though so I'll see if anyone answers. Also seems to be a bit of attitude going on here, the first I've seen in the garden web-hopefully the last. Anyway I am finally buying a house and swore that I would plant these two crops, rhubarb and aspargues, as soon as I was a home owner, because they take so long to establish. The home I am buying has a concrete RV pad in the side yard with full sun. So my first contact with the garden web was results on a query to whether I could build raise beds right on the pad. The answer was yes and there were great pictures of other folks beds made of used concrete blocks-satisfying all my criteria including going with surplus materials. So I am very happy to have found you all and this terrific resource. I need to figure out how to get in a more current thread though. I'm looking forward to dishing dirt (garden soil) with y'all. Hoping someone can help me out with the question of how deep the beds need to be. Thanks-Hatzi

ajsmama, Here's the recipe: Spicy Blueberry Preserves From Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine 3 pounds blueberries 1/3 cup water 1 cinnamon stick (4-inch) 2 strips lemon peel (2-inch) 2 cloves, whole 2 allspice berries 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided 2-1/4 cups sugar, divided Combine berries and water in an 8-quart non-reactive saucepan. Tie the lemon peel, cloves and allspice in a cheesecloth bag. Add to the berries along with the cinnamon stick. Cover and bring slowly to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Strain the blueberries for 5 minutes. Reserve the berries and the spice bag. Pour the juice into a clean 5-quart pan and reduce to 2 cups. Return juice to a boil, stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and add 2 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Allow the mixture to return to a boil after each addition of sugar before adding more. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches the jell point (8 degrees above boiling). This takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the hot jelly into the bowl containing the blueberries and the spice, allowing them to steep for 15 minutes. Return the mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. The thickened preserves should heat to 216-218 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a clean 1-quart bowl (I didn't bother messing up another bowl and just left them in the pan), remove the spice bag and the cinnamon stick. Stir the preserves once or twice over a 5 minute period. Fill jars (leaving 1/4" headspace), apply lids and rings, and process in a BWB for 10 minutes.

If you were just making it as a topping to be kept in the fridge or freezer rather than a jam I would be inclined to cook it over a gentle heat, not high, so as not to destroy the fresh flavour and avoid blasting the fruit into a slurry. But then I prefer my stewed fruit with recognizable fruit in it. I know other people don't like 'bits' in their compotes and juices. If you are going to can it I think the sugar would be better dissolved slowly. It might crystallize if boiled hard immediately. When you make jam you need to dissolve all the sugar before boiling hard.